Phillips Exeter Is the Latest in a Long History of Prep Schools Mishandling Sexual Assault Allegations

Over the past year, the issue of sexual assault on college campuses has been on the forefront of the national conversation, and the struggle with how to respond is now filtering down to America's most prestigious prep schools. After years of sweeping allegations made against both students and faculty under the rug, these elite institutions are facing difficult questions. Historically, administrations have responded to incidents internally, and many must now reassess when to involve outside authorities—an anathema to many schools. It is clear that secondary schools must also find a way to talk to students about informed consent—no easy feat when most students are underage.

In other words, schools still have a long way to go.

Last fall, Phillips Exeter Academy student Michaella Henry was allegedly assaulted in the basement of a church on campus. She told the Boston GlobeBoston Globe that a fellow classmate made unwanted sexual contact, groping her breast and bottom, while she protested.

When she reported the incident, the school's felt the appropriate punishment for the assault was for the accused, Chukwudi "Chudi" Ikpeazu, to bake her bread once a week as "penance." He also took responsibility for the incident with multiple witnesses.

At first, Henry agreed to the bread arrangement, but the regular meetings came to be too much for her.

"I was so ashamed of it," Henry told the Boston Globe. "I was being reminded once a week that he assaulted me."

Henry met with several additional administrators, including the dean of students and the dean of residential life, and finally the school investigator, hoping to bring additional closure to the situation. After her efforts proved ineffective, she finally went to the police, an action she had been reportedly discouraged from pursuing by her school.

In early June, Chudi was arrested for a misdemeanor charge of sexual assault. The school is currently being investigated for the its potential mishandling of Henry's case as well as other allegations of sexual assault.

Exeter declined to comment to the Globe about the allegations, citing, "legal obligations of confidentiality around matters involving students." They also said, "We're also constrained by our continuing cooperation with the police investigation and our status as witnesses."

While Henry's story is both tragic and in many ways could have been prevented, it is hardly the first account of sexual abuse allegations being mishandled by a New England Prep school.

Just this month, Vanity Fair did a deep dive into the history of child abuse at the prestigious St. George's school in Rhode Island, talking with survivors, alumni, and current school administrators about past incidents and what the institution is (and isn't) doing to support the victims who were assaulted on campus.

And earlier this summer, the Boston Globe's Spotlight team (the same one featured in the Academy Award-winning film of the same name) dropped an investigative report titled "Private Schools, Painful Secrets," which exposed allegations of sexual abuse in at least 67 private schools in New England.

Phillips Exeter is mentioned twice in the piece—first, in an account of survivor Lawrence Jenkens confronting his abuser, former Exeter admissions officer Arthur Peekel.

And second in regards to Rick Schubart, an award-winning teacher and administrator who recently admitted to sexual misconduct of two students in the '70s and '80s. The school "forced Schubart out in 2011 and barred him from campus in 2015." The school reportedly did not contact current students or alumni about the incident.

Read the full Spotlight report, here. And for more information on Michaella Henry's story, click here.

Caroline HallemannSenior Digital News EditorAs the senior digital news editor for Town & Country, Caroline Hallemann covers everything from the British royal family to the latest episodes of Outlander, Killing Eve, and The Crown.

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